First Evacuation Drill
Meadow Pond Elementary Kindergarteners first drill
careful preparation creates a calm experience
The kindergarteners formed a line by their classroom’s exterior door and, led by their teacher Jacqueline Kovatch, walked calmly outside. Although it was only the second week of school, the spaces they crossed felt friendly and familiar—the pavement where they’d had lunch and snack, the playground and the mowed field beyond that. There, they waited in quiet lines. The school’s alarm wouldn’t even sound for another few minutes.
All of Katonah-Lewisboro’s three elementary schools had their first evacuation drill recently—the first of a dozen required by law. They went calmly and smoothly due to the preparations of each school’s Crisis Team. “The drills help our whole school respond appropriately in the shortest possible time and without confusion or panic,” said Meadow Pond Elementary School Principal Ashlyn Field.
The drills were discussed during the Meadow Pond Report
All Meadow Pond Elementary students had learned about the Evacuation Drill a few days prior through Meadow Pond Report, the school’s morning video. Principal Field and Assistant Dawn Pomeroy reviewed the important points and answered many of the questions that children might have.
Because the alarm is loud and new for them, kindergarteners exited the building before it rang. This gave them a chance to watch their older peers and learn from them! In future drills, they will exit at the same time as other students.
"All clear!"
An alarm sound carried across the lawn towards the kindergarteners. Seemingly at once, all of the school’s doors opened and older students streamed quietly out to another part of the property. They stood by class in a large semi-circle.
Within a few minutes, “all clear” could be heard on the teachers’ walkie talkies. The students walked backed into the school as quietly as they had come out.
